California delegate speaks about Democratic National Convention

Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Friday, August 23rd.

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We hear from a California delegate following the Democratic National Convention. More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….

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Ridership on M-T-S public transit increased by more than 10-percent over the past year.

That includes riders on public buses and the trolley.

According to the agency, during the last fiscal year, there were nearly 76-million passenger trips logged.

Also, youth riders increased by nearly 23-percent.

MTS's C-E-O said the increase in transit ridership is because of a few factors, including affordability because of the rising cost of living.

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There are some changes to the rules for bringing your pet to the U-S from another country, like Mexico.

The changes from the C-D-C went into effect earlier this month.

First, your four-legged family member must be at least 6 months old and look healthy.

You must also fill out an import form from the C-D-C.

This form varies depending on the risk of rabies in each country.

Mexico is considered a low-risk country.

And your dog must have a microchip for proper identification and to confirm to officials that they have the rabies vaccine.

To get a chip, you can go to the San Diego Humane Society website to make an appointment at the location closest to you.

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Today (Friday) is going to be the coolest day of the week, followed by similar temperatures this weekend.

It’ll still feel like summer, but slightly cooler.

In the inland areas, temperatures will be in the high 70s, by the coast it’ll be in the mid 70s, in the mountains temps will be in the high 60s, and in the deserts, it’ll be in the high 90s.

Temps are expected to heat back up starting Monday.

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From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now. Stay with me for more of the local news you need.

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The Democratic National Convention is now in the history books.

Last night, Vice President Kamala Harris formally accepted her party’s nomination to be president.

Reporter John Carroll spoke with a member of the California delegation.

California Secretary of State Shirley Weber was among the 496 delegates from the Golden State.  She spoke to KPBS not in her role as Secretary, but as a convention delegate.  Weber says among the messages in the many speeches she heard, one of the most important things was to remember to find the joy in the world around us. “Sometimes it has to be reinforced, and you have to be reminded of many of the good things that you do, many of the things that are really important and how all that factors into how this world exists.” Weber also was happy with how she says many of the speeches at the convention stressed the importance of coming together as a nation… something she says she’s always tried to do in her political career. “And there’s very little we can’t do if we put our minds to it and if we work as teams to get things done.  And it’s not about parties and this and that and all that stuff that has been interjected, but it’s really about people.” Weber says she’s worked across the aisle for many years, and she says if elected, Kamala Harris will try to do the same thing.  JC, KPBS News.

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A 250-million-dollar deal between tech companies and the state, billed as an effort to save local journalism, is drawing both praise and criticism.

Investigative reporter Amita Sharma reports the pact kills state legislative efforts to make google, meta and other tech titans pay media companies for accessing their content.

The initiative will be funded by both tech money and taxpayer dollars. Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement that it will “rebuild a robust and dynamic California press corps for years to come, reinforcing the vital role of journalism in our democracy.” But a regional jounrnalist’s union blasted the deal as a shakedown of state taxpayers. In a statement, the Media Guild of the West said the pact does not come close to returning the wealth Google has “stolen from our newsrooms.” The union also references a vague AI component that “could very well destroy newsroom jobs.” Google said in a written statement that the partnership builds on its “long history of working with journalism and the local news ecosystem in our home state, while developing a national center of excellence on AI policy.” Amita Sharma, KPBS News.

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A pair of pressurizers had to be returned to the San Onofre nuclear generating station because of a leak during shipment to a disposal site.

A San Onofre official tells North County reporter Alexander Nguyen that shouldn’t have happened.

The pressurizers were on their way to Utah earlier this summer when a railyard worker noticed the leak.They were supposed to be completely dried and sealed. “This incident should not have happened.” Ron Pontes is the general manager for environmental radiation protection and waste at Southern California Edison. S-C-E owns and operates the San Onofre plant. “We're very disappointed in the way this thing got packaged the fact that there was water inside remaining inside this pressurizer, when when the contractor thought that it was dry and empty. So, so, regardless of what the Nrc is doing. [cut] We're taking this very, very seriously and we want to understand what went wrong here, made sure we learn from that event.” A recent Nuclear Regulatory Commission investigation of the incident found two minor violations. The commission says the infractions posed no danger to the public. S-C-E is conducting its own investigation and will present its findings at a community meeting on Sept. 5th. For more information on that meeting, visit K-P-B-S dot-org. AN/KPBS News.

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This year, a national civil rights organization named Alton Collier California’s third known victim of racial terror lynching.

In 19-46, he was attacked on the Coronado ferry and left to drown.

A coalition recently formed to memorialize him.

Reporter Katie Hyson joined them yesterday (Thursday) as they took the next step.

A dozen people gather on Centennial Park’s shore at dawn. A strip of concrete marks the old Coronado ferry landing. This is where he took his last steps. Coalition co- chair Fern Nelson. This is for you, Alton Collier. We remember you. We honor you. We're sorry about everything that happened to you. While the tide is out, they dig sand. At a public ceremony on Sept. 7, they’ll place the sand in a jar with Collier’s name. And ship it to the lynching memorial in Montgomery, Alabama. Collier was a Black Coronado resident. His death certificate still lists the cause as suicide. Coalition members say this is a step in setting the record straight. Alton walked here and didn't walk back. He lost his life because of hatred, evil, which still exists today. To hear more of Collier’s story, visit k-p-b-s dot org. Katie Hyson, KPBS News.

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Dozens of new American citizens from 25 countries took the oath of allegiance before a padres’ game at Petco Park earlier this week (Wednesday).

Reporter Katie Anastas brings us this audio postcard from the ceremony.

Oh, this is emotional for me, you know? I already cry a lot. I born in Brazil, my name is Carlota Muhlig. The quality of life is much better here, the quality of the food, everything is better. The freedom of religion, the freedom of speech. I think Americans don’t know really what they have, you know? JUNG I was born in South Korea. My first name is Sunghoon, last name is Jung, but after the ceremony today, my first name will be Sam. In Korea, it's a lot more conservative, and they also value age a lot. So if you're young, it's really hard to open up discussions or give your thoughts and ideas in meetings and stuff. But here, I can talk freely to my CEO and CSO's, and they, like, really respect my ideas. SALEHIJAM My name is Maryam Salehijam, and I was born in Tehran, Iran. Having been in the US at the last election, I realized how important every vote is. This one, especially because women's rights are on the line. So I wanted to make sure I'm voting. JUDGE Congratulations, my fellow Americans. You are now citizens of the United States of America.

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That’s it for the podcast today. This podcast is produced by Emilyn Mohebbi and edited by Brooke Ruth. We’d also like to thank KPBS producer Bennett Lacy and KPBS reporter and anchor John Carroll for helping the podcast team this week. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. Join us again on Monday to start the week together with the day’s top stories. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great weekend.